...it's difficult and you have to be vigilant. ALL of the time... reading labels, asking family and friends what's in their yummy-looking foodstuffs and checking out ingredients at a restaurant/fast food store. And that's just a beginning for some families. Some people do not understand how life-threatening an allergy can be but it is scary to end up in hospital with anaphylaxis. But there is hope (DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME - please see your specialist) for peanut allergic individuals...

CHILDREN who were so allergic to peanuts they needed emergency adrenaline injections are now happily munching nuts daily as a result of a world-first medical trial in Adelaide.

The Flinders Medical Centre project by paediatric allergist Dr Billy Tao uses a two-step technique, initially boiling peanuts for two hours to make them less allergenic.

Children are fed these peanuts to partially desensitise them, then when they show no signs of allergic reaction, the children are fed roasted peanuts to further increase their tolerance.

Of 14 participants aged under 16 who all had serious allergic reactions, 10 have completed the first stage and are now eating roasted peanuts daily, while four continue to eat boiled peanuts daily. The ethically approved trial has not been attempted anywhere else.

Awww tis no fun when it sneaks up on you when you're an adult, IRHP!! But if that is the case, make sure to see a specialist as they can tell you if you have a mild allergy or severe/anaphylactic without you having to eat the foodstuff and find out the hard way. And be sure to read all labels before you eat anything. Good luck! ;)

[QUOTE="Erniewan, post: 1589755, member: 37587"]Apparently I'm minorly allergic to tomatoes. But I eat tomato sauce/ketchup/tomato soup every other day, so I can't be that allergic... could explain why I don't like raw tomatoes tho.[/QUOTE]

Heat can break down the specific element you're allergic to, so raw might cause a reaction while cooked can be completely safe, depending on the allergy and individual. :)

Man this is so cool. Sometimes I think about what might have happened if we never figured out I had a walnut allergy (I thought everyone who ate walnuts experienced a scratchy throat, like how everyone who eats spicy foods experiences the burning) - I hesitated to bring it up to my parents because I thought I was just being a picky eater. Food allergies are literally deadly and the faster we move towards eliminating them as a problem the better. I hate not being able to eat yummy carrot cakes that friends bake :C